So last Sunday at the MODCC shoot I got my grubby little mitts on a DPMS LR-308 M4gery. Its my first AR10 type and its pretty interesting, so I took some pics to share. I've never had an Armalite AR10 so I can't compare features with one of those, perhaps a fellow member can help me out? I figured I'd post my comparo here because I'm tired of surfing GD and seeing fifteen posts about Brokedick Mountain and none about guns.

Basically the LR-308 is a 1.5 scale M4gery. Everything that I love about the AR15 is present, just, um, bigger. It reminds me of the Mirage IV bomber-- France basically took a Mirage III and made every part just a little bit bigger until it was a bomber instead of a fighter. There are a few stylistic differences, such as the trigger guard being integrated into the lower instead of being pinned in place, and the lack of a raised fence around the mag release. Instead the mag release is recessed into a little football-shaped dimple cut into the huge magwell. The distance between the trigger group and the mag release is identical to an AR15, so its second nature to drop a mag in the LR-308, there is no mental adjustment needed. Same with the safety.

The forward assist doesn't hit serrations cut in the side of the carrier, instead its basically a fat pin that pushes on a shoulder machined into the side of the carrier. It feels very solid and functional. The texture of the upper receiver suggests that it might be cast, but when you look closely you can see that it has been machined extensively, more so than you usually see with cast parts. The DPMS website says the upper is forged and the lower is machined from billet, and I have no reason to doubt them. The forward assist block is integrated into the brass deflector, which I think is sensible.

Flipping the gun over, the bolt release is in the same spot as an AR15 but again is in a machined out recess in the receiver. You can tell just how thick and beefy the upper is if you look at how much material they removed to put the forward assist there. The BUIS is fixed, not a flip up like I would really prefer, but it seems beefy enough and offers the standard A2 adjustment increments. Fire control group is standard AR15, but DPMS advises that a Jard trigger won't fit because the receiver dimensions are different. I wonder if an RRA two-stage will drop in.

The LR-308's barrel measures 19 inches including the flash hider and specs out at a 1/10 twist rate. It is chrome moly, not chrome lined. I would prefer chrome lined but alas, my FAL and G3 clones aren't chrome lined either so oh well, at least its button rifled! The gun is chambered for .308 Winchester as opposed to 7.62 NATO, so that's a bonus in my book since it is going to be fed full power .308 handloads when I feel like being accurate. The flash hider looks like a long Phantom/Vortex/Bushmaster "Izzy" type and works well at minimizing flash once the sun goes down. Yes, I've shot it in the dark, using my car headlights for target illumination. You have to practice these things you know!

I showed the bolt and carrier to my wife and her response was "it looks like a scale model they built to train cadets on." Every feature of the AR15 bolt and carrier is represented except for the previously mentioned forward assist serrations. I should add that I pulled the assembly out of the gun after 140 rounds fired with no cleaning, so it seems that either the gun doesn't foul that badly or South African surplus is really clean shooting 7.62 NATO. You can see that the cuts in the AR15 carrier to lessen the weight just aren't present on the LR-308 carrier, its one solid chunk of metal from the gas key back. The carrier is steel and chrome plated. I'm hoping it will hold up well but I've never had a plated carrier before.

Another way to appreciate the scale of the LR-308 is by attaching AR15 bits. Here I've put on a Bushmaster A3 detach carry handle, which goes right on and is the correct height for the front sight, but leaves about an inch and a half of exposed rail in front of it! The gun is just that much bigger and the carry handle looks like a miniature airsoft toy part when you put it on there!

My one complaint about the gun is the free-floating forend. The rails are not in spec, they are a little short in the vertical measurement from the base of the tube. KAC grip panels slid on without complaint, but I had to trim the top of the forward pistol grip before it would slide on. Its only a matter of a few thousanths, but they aren't in spec. Further, the forend anodizing is tinged purple, which you only notice in certain lighting and which I can hide somewhat with grip panels, but which is still shoddy compared to the beautiful work shown by the rest of the gun. I might get a wild hair and refinish the forend with Norrell's flat black sometime, but it will still be out of spec no matter what I do.

Magazines are true SR-25 type, not AR10 "modified M14 mag" type. This means they are expensive at $50 each for a twenty-rounder, but the gun has run 100% through 140 rounds of surplus so far, and I've seen AR10s choke on the modified M14 mags before so I think its a good choice. Mags are parkerized and seem robust enough.

Next I'm going to slap on a cheap Bushnell 3-9 I have lying around on a QD mount and shoot for groups. As far as offhand shooting impressions, the gun is quite controllable, with the straight-back recoil that the Stoner system is known for. I would say felt recoil is more than my FAL but less than my G3 which is a heavier rifle. For the weight (DPMS says 8.5 pounds empty, compared to 9.7 for the G3) it is quite manageable and comes back on target quickly.

All in all, what's not to like? I can't wait to shoot for accuracy, but offhand main-battle-rifle style blasting exhibited the good ergos and balance I've come to expect from AR type rifles and practical, real-world accuracy can only benefit from that. Would this thing make a good deerslayer come fall or what?

the chamber is nato not 308, trust me on this i would not have got it if it was 308, i had CMMG call and make sure from Dpms, thats why it fires nato fine. i dont know who Jeff talked to but i trust his word and he was sure it was nato chamber on the ap4.

the chamber is nato not 308, trust me on this i would not have got it if it was 308, i had CMMG call and make sure from Dpms, thats why it fires nato fine. i dont know who Jeff talked to but i trust his word and he was sure it was nato chamber on the ap4.

if i am wrong i will stand corrected.

Ronald

edit:

Dustin was it you that Jeff asked?

Isnt .308 the commercial grade of 7.62 just like .223 is the commercial load of 5.56?

The military chamber can shoot the commercial, but not the opposite???

Thought I would take one more pic. Compared to an AR15 the LR-308 is big, but in case my post made it sound overly huge, I thought I'd compare it to the other .308 battle rifles in my collection. As you can see, it is significantly more compact than the FAL, G3, or Ishapore Enfield. If you had a collapsible stock on the G3 it would be shorter, but you wouldn't go into battle with the stock collapsed, you couldn't aim and fire from the shoulder with it like that. With the stock in the position shown the LR-308 fits me perfectly.

Originally Posted By Blue_Suiter:Nice weapons, but where did you get the A1C stripes? (with the ninja headwear)

B_S

Local pawn shop gave me a set for free awhile back. I was wearing all the getup because I'm writing an article for simhq.com comparing small arms in real life to small arms in video games, and for the article I'm filming myself shooting various guns so the airsoft/gaming crowd can see what the rate of fire, recoil, and muzzle flash looks like in real life. Plus I like to dress like a ninja and they won't let me go to court in my ninja mask anymore.

Here are a couple of vids that will be featured as part of the online article.

For those asking what the LR-308 costs, DPMS is currently backlogged on them, but you can order one with the four-rail forend option for $1,250 from CMMG. I'm not sure on pricing from other distributors.